Power To Save: Cell Phones For Soldiers

HONESDALE — In this week’s “Power to Save,” Newswatch16 is highlighting a recycling program intended to help soldiers overseas stay in c...

pwr cell phones

Author: Clay LePard

Published: 5:14 PM EDT May 5, 2016

Updated: 8:37 PM EDT May 5, 2016

HONESDALE -- In this week's "Power to Save," Newswatch16 is highlighting a recycling program intended to help soldiers overseas stay in contact with friends and family back home.

"We are collecting all those unused old broken outdated cell phones and iPads and all the accessories that go with them," said Deacon Marty Robbins with the First Presbyterian Church in Honesdale.

Robbins also served in the Army and Air Force.

It's part of a program called "Cell Phones for Soldiers," which wipes the memory and re-sells your rejected phones or strips the precious metals off the junk ones then takes that money and converts it to calling cards for soldiers deployed overseas.

"I served before Twitter and Facetime and Snapchat and all of that," Robbins added. "To get a phone call and to hear that familiar voice was just so uplifting and so refreshing!"

The drive at the church runs throughout May, and so far has brought in more than 50 phones.

According to the non-profit, one cell phone worth $5 adds up to 2.5 hours of talk time for soldiers.

"It's important," said Frank Powll of Oregon Township, who served during the Vietnam War. "People don't realize just got important it is [to talk to family] when you're overseas."

You can drop off your old cell phones at the First Presbyterian Church on 10th Street in Honesdale throughout May.